WikiIndaba 2024

My First WikiIndaba Experience

This year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend WikiIndaba 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. It was my first time attending any internal Wikimedia event, so it felt extra special. Earlier in 2024, I had won a scholarship to attend Wikimania Poland, but unfortunately, due to visa issues, I couldn’t participate. That’s why finally being part of WikiIndaba was such a rewarding experience—it felt like I was getting the chance to connect with the movement in a meaningful way.

Highlights from the Event
The session that really resonated with me was the keynote on Indigenous Language Preservation by Professor Langa Khumalo. His talk on the importance of preserving African languages in the digital world felt so relevant, especially for our work in promoting local languages in Ethiopia. It’s motivating to know that we are all working toward the same goal of making sure our languages are represented on platforms like Wikipedia.

Another highlight was the panel on “What skills and tools do you need to manage a big User Group?”. It was packed with practical advice on how to keep our communities organized as they grow. As the founder of the Wikimedians of Ethiopia User Group, this session was a great reminder that managing a user group takes not just passion, but planning and coordination.

I also attended two other sessions that made an impact: “The value of fact-checking for open knowledge” and “Information integrity and the role of the Media” with speakers like Maryana Iskander (WMF), Anusha Alikhan (WMF), and Ferial Haffejee (Daily Maverick). These discussions emphasized the role that digital literacy and reliable information play in today’s world, especially for Wikimedia platforms.

Hackathons and Meeting Collaborators

One of the coolest parts for me, as a developer, was the WikiHackathons. I spent two days working on projects like Wiki Translate, and it was exciting to dive into the technical side of Wikimedia. It’s one thing to edit articles and another to build tools that help expand access to knowledge.

Reconnecting with Familiar faces

I also reconnected with some familiar faces from Open Foundation West Africa (OFWA), including Eugene, Ruby, and Jay. We’ve been working together since I started our user group back in 2023, and it was great to finally meet them in person. We had some productive conversations about how we can collaborate on future projects.

What’s Next for Wikimedians of Ethiopia User group?

Coming back from WikiIndaba, I’m more motivated than ever to keep growing Wikimedians of Ethiopia. We’ve got plans for more edit-a-thons and workshops to boost content creation in Ethiopian languages. We’re also looking to get more schools and universities involved to encourage contributions from the next generation.

Final Thoughts

All in all, WikiIndaba 2024 was an unforgettable experience. After missing out on Wikimania Poland, being part of WikiIndaba made up for it and more. The connections I made, the sessions I attended, and the lessons I learned have left me inspired and eager to bring it all back to Ethiopia. This is just the beginning of what we can achieve, and I’m excited for the future of the Wikimedians of Ethiopia User Group and our contributions to the wider Wikimedia movement.

Some Photos 🙂